9781422287477

Independence Hall Birthplace of Freedom

The Alamo: Symbol of Freedom American Flag: The Story of Old Glory Bald Eagle: The Story of Our National Bird

Confederate Flag: Controversial Symbol of the South The Declaration of Independence: Forming a New Nation Ellis Island: The Story of a Gateway to America Independence Hall: Birthplace of Freedom Jefferson Memorial: A Monument to Greatness Liberty Bell: Let Freedom Ring Lincoln Memorial: Shrine to an American Hero Mount Rushmore: Memorial to Our Greatest Presidents The Pledge of Allegiance: Story of One Indivisible Nation Rock ’n’ Roll: Voice of American Youth The Star-Spangled Banner: Story of Our National Anthem Statue of Liberty: A Beacon of Welcome and Hope Uncle Sam: International Symbol of America The U.S. Constitution: Government by the People Vietnam Veterans Memorial: Remembering a Generation and a War Washington Monument: Memorial to a Founding Father The White House: The Home of the U.S. President

Independence Hall Birthplace of Freedom

Hal Marcovitz

Mason Crest Philadelphia

Mason Crest 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D Broomall, PA 19008 www.masoncrest.com

© 2015 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechani- cal, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher. Printed and bound in the United States of America. CPSIA Compliance Information: Batch #PSA2014. For further information, contact Mason Crest at 1-866-MCP-Book. Publisher’s note: all quotations in this book come from original sources, and contain the spelling and grammatical inconsistencies of the original text. First printing 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file at the Library of Congress

ISBN 978-1-4222-3124-1 (hc) ISBN 978-1-4222-8747-7 (ebook)

Patriotic Symbols of America series ISBN: 978-1-4222-3117-3

Contents

Patriotic Symbols and American History

6

Introduction by Barry Moreno

1. The Paper Money Riot

9

2. The State House

15 23 33 39 42 43 45 45 46

3. Declaring Independence

4. A New Purpose

5. Liberty to the World

Chronology

Series Glossary Further Reading Internet Resources

Index

KEY ICONS TO LOOK FOR :

Text-dependent questions: These questions send the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there.

Words to understand: ;OLZL ^VYKZ ^P[O [OLPY LHZ` [V \UKLYZ[HUK KLÄUP[PVUZ ^PSS increase the reader's understanding of the text, while building vocabulary skills.

Series glossary of key terms: This back-of-the book glossary contains terminology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader's HIPSP[` [V YLHK HUK JVTWYLOLUK OPNOLY SL]LS IVVRZ HUK HY[PJSLZ PU [OPZ ÄLSK Research projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connected to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives.

Patriotic Symbols and American History S ymbols are not merely ornaments to admire—they also tell us stories. If you look at one of them closely, you may want to find out why it was made and what it truly means. If you ask people who live in the society in which the symbol exists, you will learn some things. But by studying the people who created that symbol and the reasons why they made it, you will understand the deepest meanings of that symbol. The United States owes its identity to great events in history, and the most remarkable American Symbols are rooted in these events. The struggle for independence from Great Britain gave America the Declaration of Independence, the Liberty Bell, the American flag, and other images of freedom. The War of 1812 gave the young country a song dedicated to the flag, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which became our national anthem. Nature gave the country its national animal, the bald eagle. These symbols established the identity of the new nation, and set it apart from the nations of the Old World.

7 Introduction

To be emotionally moving, a symbol must strike people with a sense of power and unity. But it often takes a long time for a new symbol to be accepted by all the people, especially if there are older symbols that have gradually lost popularity. For example, the image of Uncle Sam has replaced Brother Jonathan, an earlier representation of the national will, while the Statue of Liberty has replaced Columbia, a woman who represented liberty to Americans in the early 19th century. Since then, Uncle Sam and the Statue of Liberty have endured and have become cherished icons of America. Of all the symbols, the Statue of Liberty has perhaps the most curious story, for unlike other symbols, Americans did not create her. She was created by the French, who then gave her to America. Hence, she represented not what Americans thought of their country but rather what the French thought of America. It was many years before Americans decided to accept this French goddess of Liberty as a symbol for the United States and its special role among the nations: to spread freedom and enlighten the world. This series of books is valuable because it presents the story of each of America’s great symbols in a freshly written way and will contribute to the students’ knowledge and awareness of them. It it to be hoped that this information will awaken an abiding interest in American history, as well as in the meanings of American symbols. — Barry Moreno, librarian and historian Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty National Monument

Words to Understand

agenda— a list of things to be done or discussed at a meeting. agitator— a person who stirs up others in favor of a cause, often urging violent action. appropriate— to set aside money for a particular use. assembly— the governing body of a state, composed of representatives elected by the people.The assembly is sometimes called the legislature. assets— property of value that can be exchanged for money. currency— paper money or coins. governor— the chief executive of a state or colony, responsible for carrying out the laws adopted by the assembly. petition— a formal request, usually signed by several people, made to a government for a specific purpose. riot— a noisy and often violent public disturbance, usually caused by a group of people angered for a particular reason. tavern— a café, bar, or inn, usually, where alcohol is served. veto— the right to cancel an act of the government, usually exercised by a governor or president.

1

An example of colonial-era paper money, issued in Philadelphia in 1776. Nearly 50 years earlier, riots broke out in the city over the issue of paper money.

The Paper Money Riot

T rading in paper money was rare in colonial America. Since there was little wealth in America, paper money often had little value. There were no great reserves of gold to give value to the paper money that was exchanged in place of precious metals. However, as the colony of Pennsylvania grew, more paper money was needed in circulation. In busy Philadelphia, which had grown into the largest city in America, people needed paper money to buy food, clothes, tools, and other goods. In 1726 King George appointed Patrick Gordon, an army officer, as governor of the colony of Pennsylvania. The king cautioned Governor Gordon to be careful not to print too much paper money without true assets to give value to the currency . Doing so would mean that the

9

10 Independence Hall: Birthplace of Freedom

money was worthless. So Gordon told the Assembly of Pennsylvania to draft a Paper Money Act—a law to increase the supply of paper money in the colony. But things moved slowly in colonial America, and the law would not be ready for three years. Despite this, members of the assembly and many citizens called for the government to print more paper money. The issue was the subject of much debate on Philadelphia’s cobblestone streets and in the city’s taverns . Soon, Governor Gordon and the members of the assembly found themselves confronted by angry people demanding more paper money. Sometimes, the demands turned violent. The paper money advocates recruited troublemakers from country taverns outside Philadelphia to stir up trouble. Members of the assembly did not feel safe. They asked Governor

Patrick Gordon became governor of Pennsylvania in

1726.When he refused to issue new paper money to the citizens of the colony, some of them rioted.The Paper Money Riot, as it was called, nearly led to the removal of the colony’s government from Philadelphia.

11 The Paper Money Riot

Gordon to hold the next assembly meeting outside Philadelphia, in a safer place. Before this time, there had been no actual meeting hall for the Pennsylvania’s assembly. Philadelphia was the largest city in America, but there were few public buildings. Occasionally, the assembly met in the city’s courthouse or Quaker meeting houses. Sometimes, the assembly members were forced to decide the colony’s business in private homes. And so, while the assembly members searched for a safe place to meet outside the city, a group of law- abiding Philadelphians approached Andrew Hamilton and asked him to keep the government in Philadelphia. As assembly speaker, Hamilton led the legislature and was responsible for setting the agenda of the govern- ment. He decided which issues should be taken up by the members and oversaw various administrative duties. The citizens of Philadelphia told Hamilton that if he moved the assembly meeting somewhere else, he would send a message that roughnecks were in charge. They submitted a petition to Hamilton, asking the assembly to set aside money to build a government meeting hall—a State House. Meanwhile, the paper money agitators were not through causing trouble. Some members of the assembly who favored the Paper Money Act asked Governor Gordon to approve £50,000 in new currency. (A pound, shown by the symbol £, was the unit of paper money

12 Independence Hall: Birthplace of Freedom

used in the colony. This is still the name of a unit of money circulated in the United Kingdom.) Months passed and Gordon still refused to issue new paper currency. On March 25, 1729, the assembly finally acted, authorizing £50,000 in new currency. But Governor Gordon issued a veto of the Paper Money Act—meaning he sent official notice to the assembly that he would not sign it. The governor’s signature on the act was required for it to become law. The agitators and troublemakers took to the streets of Philadelphia. Mobs tramped their way through the city, attacking citizens and breaking windows, doors, and street lamps. This night of violence became known as the Paper Money Riot . VITAL FIGURE: Andrew Hamilton Assembly Speaker Andrew Hamilton helped put down the Paper Money Riot, designed the State House, and contributed in other ways to the growth of the Pennsylvania colony. But his greatest accom- plishment was the defense of John Peter Zenger, a newspaper publisher in New York who in 1734 dared to criticize Governor William Cosby. There was no guarantee of a free press in 1734. Cosby was appoint- ed by the king of England. He had Zenger arrested and tried for sedition, accusing the publisher of using his newspaper to stir up a revolution against the king. Hamilton served as Zenger’s attorney. “I cannot think it proper to deny the Publication of a Complaint which I think is the right of every free born Subject to make,” Hamilton told the court. The jury was so moved by Hamilton’s speech that it found Zenger not guilty. This land- mark case is the basis for America’s tradition of freedom of the press.

13 The Paper Money Riot

The violence didn’t last long. The ringleaders were soon arrested, and on March 31 Governor Gordon issued the Riot Act. This was a law that gave the governor permission to arrest and put to death people accused of starting riots. That helped quiet things down in the streets of Philadelphia and convinced the rioters to go back to their country villages. With the paper money agitators back home in the countryside, the assembly finally took up the issue of the Paper Money Act. On May 1, 1729, the Provincial Assembly adopted a law giving Governor Gordon authority to issue £30,000 in new currency. And from the new currency, the assembly appropriated £2,000 to build a State House in Philadelphia. A new country would one day be born in that State House—47 years later, American leaders selected the State House in Philadelphia as the place where they would draft and debate the Declaration of Independence. As for the building, it would come to be known as Independence Hall.

Text-Dependent Questions Who was Andrew Hamilton? What was his position in Pennsylvania’s colonial government? Research Project Shortages of money were a problem throughout all of the British colonies of North America. Visit this website maintained by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, http://www.philadelphiafed.org/education/teachers/resources/money-in-colonial- times, to find out more about the problems involving coinage and paper money in Colonial America.

intolerance— refusal by authorities to recognize religious rights. peal— the sound made by a bell or bells. Words to Understand